Dixie C-Beam XL

And so it begins.

I have loitered around here for some time now learning what I can from all the masterful builders on this site and finally took the plunge to attempt to build my own CNC router. How am I going to use it you ask? Simply put, I have no idea!! I am an engineer by trade and woodworking is one of my favorite hobbies so I am sure I will find plenty of uses as time goes by. I chose to build the C-Beam XL simply so I would have a larger work area for whatever tasks I dream up. I placed the order from the Parts Store several weeks ago and have been making progress in baby steps since the material arrived.



I completed the mechanical build last weekend, but didn’t take any photos after I installed the MDF table. I’ll update with more photos soon.



More to come. Thanks to all those that came before me for providing the path to this build.

Ok, here is an updated photo of the completed mechanical build and temporary electrical.



I am using individual DQ542MA drivers with an Arduino running Grbl 0.9. I am currently controlling it with bCNC running on an old laptop with a Linux OS. Ultimately, I plan to operate the router with a Raspberry Pi 3 and the Arduino. Excuse the wiring mess, this is just temporary to make sure everything works. I will build a proper control panel/box over the next month. I have uploaded a video of the first movements to Youtube. I'll see if I can imbed it here or in the discussion tab. I still have to decide on a spindle/router. I am leaning toward a 1.5Kw, water cooled spindle.

More to come.